[[Image:J.R.R. Tolkien's letter to the Oxford English Dictioanry.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Tolkien's letter, explaining the entry "Hobbit".]]

[[Image:J.R.R. Tolkien's letter to the Oxford English Dictioanry.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Tolkien's letter, explaining the entry "Hobbit".]]

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{{quote|'''Tolkienian, a.''' Of or pertaining to the philologist and author of fantasy literature John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) or his writings.|Oxford English Dictionary<ref>OED Online, "[http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50254012? Tolkienian, a.]"</ref>}}

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{{quote|'''Tolkienian, a.''' Of or pertaining to the philologist and author of fantasy literature John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973) or his writings.|Oxford English Dictionary<ref>OED Online, "[http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50254012? Tolkienian, a.]" (subscription required)</ref>}}

The '''Oxford English Dictionary''' ('''OED'''), or '''New English Dictionary''' as it was called at its initiation, is the standard English dictionary. [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] spent several years as an assistant, and several of his own words and works would be cited in it.

The '''Oxford English Dictionary''' ('''OED'''), or '''New English Dictionary''' as it was called at its initiation, is the standard English dictionary. [[J.R.R. Tolkien]] spent several years as an assistant, and several of his own words and works would be cited in it.

Revision as of 13:34, 22 September 2008

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The Oxford English Dictionary (OED), or New English Dictionary as it was called at its initiation, is the standard English dictionary. J.R.R. Tolkien spent several years as an assistant, and several of his own words and works would be cited in it.

Contents

Early History

The dictionary project started in 1878. Though it was orignially not a part of the University of Oxford, the institute took over the project later. The sections covering A-H were published by 1900, but both the war and the death of Sir James Murray, the original editor, in 1915 ment that the section U-Z was not complete yet[2]. After Murray's death, three editors remained: Henry Bradley, William Craigie, and C.T. Onions. Most of their assistants had gone to war and not returned (either not to the Dictionary or not at all), so new assistants were necessary[3].

Tolkien and the OED

Tolkien in the OED

The OED in Tolkien

The OED makes two appearances in Tolkien's work. The four original editors - Murray, Bradley, Craigie and Onions - were referenced in Farmer Giles of Ham:

"Some may well ask what a blunderbuss was. Indeed, this very question, it is said, was put to the Four Wise Clerks of Oxenford, and after thought they replied: 'A Blunderbuss is a short gun with a large bore firing many balls or slugs, and capable of doing execution within a limited range without exact aim. (Now superseded in civilized countries by other firearms.)' "

"'Yes, doink has come on a lot lately,' said Lowdham. 'But it's not brand-new, of coarse. I think it's first recorded, in the Third Supplement to the N.E.D., in the fifties, in the form dŏing: seems to have started in the Air Force in the Six Year's War"